This invention relates to vehicle-mounted equipment carriers, such as, but not limited to, carriers for transporting bicycles or other recreational equipment on a vehicle, and more particularly to a pivoting hitch-type equipment carrier with a feature that makes it easier for a user to pivot the carrier between an upright, raised position and a lowered position.
Many vehicle-mounted equipment carriers or racks, such as bicycle racks, are adapted for mounting to an existing hitch receiver on the back of an automobile or truck. The hitch receiver is typically welded to the frame of the vehicle under the rear bumper, and the equipment carrier is positioned above the hitch receiver adjacent the rear of the vehicle. The equipment carrier typically includes an upright support member, commonly referred to as a mast, and an equipment support arrangement secured to an upper end defined by the upright support member.
When equipment carriers of this type are mounted to a vehicle, such as a van or SUV having a rear door or hatch, the equipment carrier presents an obstruction to opening the rear door or hatch. Accordingly, equipment carriers have been developed that can be moved from an upright position during use and a lowered position that moves the equipment carrier rearwardly so that the rear door or hatch at the vehicle can be easily accessed and partially or fully opened.
Many prior art designs have been developed to address this problem. Such designs typically require the user to lower and lift the weight of the upright support member, the equipment support arrangement, and the equipment that is secured to the equipment support arrangement during movement between the upright position and the lowered position. When the equipment carrier is heavily loaded, such as with a number of bicycles, this can represent a substantial amount of weight and thus require a significant amount of effort to move the loaded equipment carrier between the upright and lowered position.
What is needed is an equipment carrier that can support the same amount and weight of equipment as in prior art designs, yet which can be moved relatively easily between the upright and lowered positions, even when the equipment carrier is fully loaded.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an equipment carrier for mounting to a vehicle, which is equipped with a hitch receiver, includes a mounting arrangement for securing the equipment carrier to the vehicle, an equipment support arrangement located above the mounting arrangement, and which defines an inner end an outer end, and a mast defining an upper end and a lower end. The lower end of the mast is pivotably interconnected with the mounting arrangement and the upper end of the mast supports the equipment support arrangement. The equipment support arrangement extends rearwardly at an angle relative to the mast, and the mast is pivotable relative to the mounting arrangement for movement between an upright, operative position for use during transport of the equipment by the vehicle and a lowered position in which the upper end of the mast is moved rearwardly relative to the vehicle. The equipment carrier further includes a movable connection between the upper end of the mast and the inner end of the equipment support arrangement. The movable connection arrangement is configured to cause downward movement of the inner end of the equipment support arrangement relative to the outer end of the equipment support arrangement and upward movement of the outer end of the equipment support arrangement relative to the inner end of the equipment support arrangement during pivoting movement of the mast from the upright, operative position toward the lowered position, and to cause upward movement of the inner end of the equipment support arrangement relative to the outer end of the equipment support arrangement and downward movement of the outer end of the equipment support arrangement relative to the inner end of the equipment support arrangement during pivoting movement of the mast from the lowered position toward the upright, operative position. With this movement of the equipment support arrangement as the mast is lowered and raised, the center of gravity of the loads supported by the equipment support arrangement remains at a constant elevation, which eliminates the need for the user to lower and raise the weight of the equipment during movement of the mast.
The mast may representatively include a front mast member and a rear mast member, each of which defines an upper end and a lower end, with the lower end of each of the front and rear mast members being pivotably interconnected with the mounting arrangement. The upper end of each of the front and rear mast members may be pivotably interconnected with an upper equipment support mounting arrangement, with the inner end of the equipment support arrangement being movably engaged with the upper equipment support mounting arrangement. The front and rear mast members may representatively cooperate with the mounting arrangement and the upper equipment support mounting arrangement to form a linkage-like structure that moves toward a collapsed configuration when the mast is moved toward the lowered position and which moves toward an expanded configuration when the mast is moved toward the raised, operative position.
The inner end of the equipment support arrangement may be pivotably connected to the upper equipment support mounting arrangement, and may include a transverse support member that is connected to the upper equipment support mounting arrangement via a pivot connection. A pivot operating or control arrangement is positioned between the transverse support member and the upper equipment support arrangement, and is configured and arranged to cause the transverse support member to pivot at the pivot connection as the mast is moved between the upright, operative position and the lowered position for causing relative upward and downward movement between the inner and outer ends of the equipment support arrangement. The pivot operating or control arrangement may be in the form of an engagement or control member carried by and non-rotatably secured to the transverse support member, with the engagement member being engaged with and maintained in a fixed position relative to the upper equipment support mounting arrangement during movement of the mast between the upright, operative position and the lowered position. The engagement member causes pivoting movement of the transverse support member at the pivot connection as the mast is raised and lowered.
The upper equipment support mounting arrangement may be in the form of a mounting bracket to which the upper end of each of the front and rear mast members is pivotably connected, with the transverse support member being pivotably engaged with the mounting bracket.
An equipment support latch arrangement may be interposed between the engagement member and the upper equipment support mounting arrangement. The equipment support latch arrangement is movably secured to the upper equipment support mounting arrangement for movement between an engaged position and a disengaged position. In the engaged position, the equipment support latch arrangement is engaged with the engagement member in a first location for maintaining the equipment support arrangement in a raised, operative position and in a second location for maintaining the equipment support arrangement in a lowered, inoperative position.
A mast latch arrangement may be interposed between the upper equipment support arrangement and the upper and one of the front and rear latch members. The mast latch arrangement is movable between an engaged position for selectively maintaining the mast in the upright, operative position and a release position for selectively enabling the mast to be moved from the upright, operative position toward the lowered position. The mast latch arrangement is engageable with the upper equipment support arrangement in a second engaged position for selectively maintaining the mast in the lowered position. A mast latch actuator may be secured to one of the front and rear mast members for selectively moving the mast latch arrangement between the engaged and release positions.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention contemplates a method of operating an equipment carrier that is mounted to a rear area of a vehicle, which includes a mast defining an upper end and a lower end, and in which the lower end of the mast is pivotably interconnected with a mounting member secured to the vehicle. The equipment carrier further includes an equipment support arrangement mounted to the upper end of the mast, and which defines an inner end secured to the upper end of the mast and an outer end spaced rearwardly from the inner end. The method contemplates the acts of selectively pivoting the mast relative to the mounting member between an upright, operative position for use during transport of the equipment by the vehicle and a lowered position in which the upper end of the mast is moved rearwardly relative to the vehicle. During downward movement of the mast from the upright, operative position toward the lowered position, the inner end of the equipment support arrangement is moved downwardly relative to the outer end of the equipment support arrangement while the outer end of the equipment support arrangement is moved upwardly relative to the inner end of the equipment support arrangement. Conversely, during upward movement of the mast from the lowered position toward the upright, operative position, the inner end of the equipment support arrangement is moved upwardly relative to the outer end of the equipment support arrangement while the outer end of the equipment support arrangement is moved downwardly relative to the inner end of the equipment support arrangement. The method is carried out by configuring the mast to have a linkage-type configuration, so that relative upward and downward movement between the inner end and the outer end of the equipment support arrangement during movement of the mast between the upright, operative position and the lowered position is caused by a pivotable connection between a transverse support member of the equipment support arrangement with
Other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating certain embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and invention includes all such modifications.
In describing the embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings. specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to be specific terms so selected and is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the words “connected,” “attached,” or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection or attachment, but include connection or attachment to other elements where such connection or attachment is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art.